Apathy Killed the Cat
by SpammyWits
Summary: "I don't know…Not really, I've found that if I can't solve something it's better to not think about it…So that's what I'm doing." "If you don't think about your problems how do you know you can't solve them?"


Any time now, it would surely work… It always had before, so despite the environment and peculiar circumstance it would work again.

That's what one Adrien Agreste told himself while laying face first under a bush, prone position…Wasn't that a yoga term? No, that was downward dog…Yep, any minute…

He had been in this endeavor for quite an unknown lapse of time, yet his will was unshakeable, his stomach empty, his method… Hardly working…

But no matter, he can take as looong as he wants to, yeah, as long as he doesn't miss his piano lessons or any of that other stuff, in fact he should get going already, not that he'd bothered to keep track of time. He practically has an integrated google calendar in his brain, he could feel the clock ticking in his bones.

So distracted was he, that the blonde was completely oblivious to the bench just a few decimeters beside him, which was the reason why he nearly jumped when he heard it's occupant addressing him.

"Huum…Adrien? Are you?...Why?…Agh!..-What are you…doing?" He didn't need to look to recognize the source of that stutter, he'd normally show some composure and manners towards his classmate, but since he was already busted he'd just wing it.

"Not thinking" He said in his best monotone, if possible burying himself deeper into the ground.

"Oh…O-okay…" That went well, maybe with a little bit of luck she would let him be…Who was he kidding?

An awkward silence and a few sighs from both parts were enough for his classmate to feel pressured enough to stand and traipse in his direction, the sound of her ballet flats disturbing the dry grass barely enough to notice her stopping near his head. He looked at her and realized she had gone down to his level, laying down parallel to him. Feeling a little better at her attempt at being empathetic, he let himself relax for a moment.

"Any reason we're not thinking here? Hmm, I'm not sure I meant what I'm meaning to say…" She frowned at herself and he couldn't help but smile.

"I don't know… Not really, I've found that if I can't solve something it's better to not think about it… So that's what I'm doing." That seemed non compromising enough, his image was already suffering as it was without having to whine about himself. She seemed lost in thought for a moment, but like always her expression changed rather quickly.

"That makes sense I guess…" She didn't look convinced, though. Her blue eyes looking sharp against the dull colors of the park. "B-but, and it's okay if you tell me off for being rude—you're great I mean we're great… But if you don't think about your problems how do you know you can't solve them?" He was surprised, no other words to describe it, she had single handedly destroyed his rhetoric just like science did to spontaneous generation or a cat to fine china.

The girl with the pigtails made sense when she wasn't nervous, he knew, but he usually was just a witness of her wits, rarely if ever did he experience it.

As the surprise faded he decided to use this moment to pry on what's been nagging at him for so long.

He took his chance when, his lack of response prompted her to finally look at him.

"Is it so bothersome to spend time with me?" Close enough, his real question just touched too deep into his emotions. Am I a nuisance?

"WHAT?! You could be covered in bees and you'd still be the nicest person I know! Why would you even think something like that?" Her face was nothing but perplexed. Her words a short lived relief from his fears, maybe she didn't think so…Yet his father and the rest of the world were entitled to their own opinion, one which he'd never risk to ask for.

"I'm glad to hear it… I always get the feeling that you're trying to avoid me…" Finding that he no longer felt the need to, he rolled on his back to watch the cloudy sky with her, it did wonders to lift his mood. He hoped that she'd accept that answer instead of prying further.

Marinette took that moment to dig into her purse and proceeded to silently offer him a cookie, he wasted no time on taking it.

"As much as I'm happy we cleared that up… I don't think that was the reason you were moping on the ground." He stopped nibbling on his treat to try and stop feeling embarrassed about changing the topic, she got him again.

"Yeah… That was just me being curious." At her pointed look, he proceeded. "I was walking down the street earlier today and a kid came to me asking for help. He said he was lost, he had an address written on his hand so I tried to get him there… We ended up in an alley, there were 2 or 3 guys in there, I didn't know what was going on… Long story short they took my stuff and the kid went with them… I'm still confused about it… I couldn't go home since I'm not supposed to be out anyways and my father will know if I show up saying I lost my wallet and phone in the house."

"Uh…That explains why there was no one around when I came here to check on yo-"

"Really!?"

"-uuuu." Between his dazed smile and her startled face it took a while for the conversation to flow back.

"That's so thoughtful!" His friend was here to check on him, that meant she was worried, he was so grateful he almost felt blessed; his bad luck from before just buried and forgotten. She went out of her way for him!

Marinette seemed happy and sad at the same time, he'd noticed that particular emotion a few times before, but his lack of human interaction prevented him to decipher its origin… Soap operas, indie movies and anime could only get you so far. She shook her head quickly and acquired a determined posture.

"Were did you see them last?"

***

When she asked that question he didn't hesitate to answer since he thought she'd just report them… How wrong he was, not even fifteen minutes later she returned to the bakery (where she had dropped him at for some reason) with bruised knuckles and a bundle in her hands, a satisfied smirk planted on her face. The same smirk one would have after getting some take out food.

"I got your stuff, someone else's wallet, and all their cellphones…"

"What?! Did you-How? What about the police?"

"It wasn't a kid, it was a midget…I ha-hate liars so…I kind of flip-ped… Just because we have heroes doesn't mean there are no petty crimes or… Yeah… They kind of… Called the police on me…"


End file.
